What happens in the brain when we are truly moved by art?

Participant contemplating Refik's Anadol art wearing an Enobio EEG headset from Neuroelectrics SL.

When Art Moves the Brain: Insights from Refik Anadol’s Unsupervised at MoMA

This fascinating question brought together artists, neuroscientists, and technologists in an unprecedented collaboration between Refik Anadol Studio, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Starlab, and Neuroelectrics.

We are proud to announce that the results of this collaboration have just been published in The Arts in Psychotherapy, in the article titled: “Enhancing mental well-being through AI-generated art: Insights from EEG responses to Refik Anadol’s Unsupervised at MoMA.”

Exploring the Neural Signatures of Aesthetic Experience

Participants watched 20 minutes of Refik Anadol's art that was divided into 4 different sections.

In this study, 31 participants experienced Unsupervised, Refik Anadol’s immersive AI-generated data sculpture exhibited at MoMA in New York. During a 20-minute session, participants’ brain activity was recorded using EEG (Enobio) while they reported their emotional states—pleasure, arousal, and well-being—before and after the experience.

The results revealed significant increases in pleasure and excitement, showing that exposure to Unsupervised enhanced participants’ mood and emotional state. From a neurophysiological perspective, those who reported an aesthetic experience displayed increased gamma power in anterior brain regions, while Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA)—a neural marker associated with positive affect and motivation—correlated strongly with subjective well-being.

Participants who reported experiencing an Aesthetic experience showed a significant increase of Gamma power in frontal electrodes.

Art, Technology, and Mental Health

These findings suggest that AI-generated art can do more than captivate—it can actively enhance well-being. The study provides scientific evidence that engaging with digital art in real-world settings may have therapeutic potential, opening exciting new directions in art therapy and mental health interventions.

The work also demonstrates the feasibility of conducting rigorous EEG-based neuroscience research in naturalistic environments, bridging the gap between controlled laboratory studies and the richness of real-world artistic experiences.

Correlations between the reported pleasure and well-being levels of the participants after the session and neural markers extracted from the EEG. Frontal Alpha Asymmetry changes (Figure C) were strongly correlated with the reported changes in well-being.

A Step Toward the Future of Art Therapy

By showing that art contemplation can induce measurable positive emotional and neural changes, this collaboration highlights how art, neuroscience, and technology can converge to promote mental well-being. The non-invasive and immersive nature of AI-based digital art makes it a promising tool for accessible, engaging, and scalable therapeutic applications.

As our understanding of the neural basis of aesthetic experience deepens, art may become a powerful ally in supporting emotional health and resilience—not just in clinical contexts, but for anyone seeking to reconnect with the beauty and complexity of the human mind.

Authors:Ángel Blanco Casares, Ph.D. (Starlab), Eleni Kroupi (Starlab), Aureli Soria-Frisch (Starlab), Adam Gazzaley (UCSF), Refik Anadol (Refik Anadol Studio), Ana Maiques (Neuroelectrics), and Giulio Ruffini (Starlab & Neuroelectrics)

Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197455625001005#:~:text=These%20results%20suggest%20that%20AI,therapy%20to%20promote%20mental%20health.

Acknowledgements: We thank the team at MoMA, especially Madeleine Pierpont, and our collaborators at Refik Anadol Studio—Tobias Heinemann and Pelin Kivrak—for their invaluable support.